How To Become A Sidemount Technical Scuba Diver Light

I'm not certain when or why I decided on Sidemount. As with many of my diving choices, it was likely a case of "oh that looks cool, could prove useful", so I decided to take the Sidemount course. It would be a useful certification that I could build on in the future. Sidemount would allow me to dive in caves, something I always wanted.

Sidemount diving originates in cave diving and has since made its way into recreational, non-overhead dives. Simply put, you'll wear your tanks on the side of your body instead of one or two tanks strapped to your back. The tanks attach to the Sidemount BCD with clips and/or long bungee strings, giving you great flexibility. This flexibility allowed cave divers to get their tanks off the surface to make it fit through narrow spaces.

The Sidemount Diver Specialty course dive may count toward your Advanced Open Water Diver certification – ask your instructor about earning credit.

Sidemount divers typically use two tanks, but you can use just one tank (I was taught it's called "monkey") or more than two tanks to do deco dives.

Being a technical diver requires a lot of training, experience, and passion. The added risks of technical diving are not worth the risk if any one of these is missing.

Certification cards: We issue these only when earned. Simply taking part in a course does not guarantee certification. For cave courses, certification cards from multiple training agencies may be available. C-cards generally cost around $30 each, depending on agency. Your instructor can tell you more.